Avengers: Endless
by lighthouse11
Summary: Avengers: Endgame major spoilers. Following the adventures of Captain Marvel, Thor, Bucky, the Guardians of the Galaxy and others after the events of Endgame.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Disclaimer: Avengers: Endgame Spoilers. Read at your own risk if you have not yet seen Endgame. I do not own the characters, etc. These belong to Marvel.

I am also uploading this on Ao3.

Please read, reply, favourite and enjoy! Your patronage is very much appreciated.

* * *

Jane readjusted the weight of her backpack as she approached the village. It looked like something straight out of a tourism brochure, with the sea and the boats and the pier, and the small houses nestled on the side of the hill. The town hadn't been easy to find, and she supposed that was for a reason. Visitors weren't exactly wanted; the locals didn't want to be some freak show. They were tucked away in a hard to get to corner of Norway for a reason, and hiking here had been her best option.

The locals watched Jane as she entered the town. These people had seen a lot, been through a lot. Jane gave a friendly smile and nod, but everyone looked away.

"No. No tourists here. You need to leave now."

Jane turned around. A man she didn't recognise stepped out of a house.

"I'm sorry, I'm not - I need to see King Thor. We - we're friends."

"You should leave."

The man was a good foot taller than Jane, with broad shoulders and muscular arms. More people had appeared on the street, standing in doorways. Jane refused to be intimidated. "No, I really am…" There was no way she was going without seeing Thor, not after walking all this way. "I really need to see - "

"Why is there a crowd? Is there something interesting? Did someone catch a big shark? Hey, hey move over. Let me see. Oh, hi, I don't know you."

The crowd parted as a tall man made of rocks stepped through.

"I - I'm here to see King Thor," Jane said, somewhat surprised to see a man made of rocks amongst the Asgardians.

"No good," said the rock man, "He's off in space with his other space friends. They are going to look after the galaxy, make sure there's no other threats to Midgard and other inhabited worlds. Also one of them is a talking rabbit, which is very strange. He likes guns. The rabbit, I mean, not Thor. Thor likes hammers. Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Korg."

Korg held out his hand, which Jane shook.

"Doctor Jane Foster."

Korg gasped. "No way!"

"Yes," Jane said. The crowd murmured amongst themselves. "I need to see - someone."

"Doctor Lady Jane, it is really good that you are here. Come with me to meet Val. She will love you. We can have tea and smoked fish. Or coffee. Or lemonade. Or beers. We have lots of beers. Oh, let me take your bag."

"Sure," Jane said, unclipping her pack. Korg picked it up as though it weighed no more than a kindergartener's school bag. She followed Korg up the hill the to largest house, trying to keep up with his stream of words as he told her about New Asgard and the merits of Thor and Valkyrie as leaders.

"Please wipe you feet before you enter," he said, opening the door. Jane wiped her feet on the mat.

"Doctor Jane Foster," Valkyrie said, pausing the video game and putting down the controller.

"Aww, Val, wait, how did you get past that level?" Korg asked, picking up the controller. "I wanted to see you do that. I get stuck all the time at the bridge.

"Make lunch," Valkyrie said, "I'll show you later. Lady Jane Foster, welcome to New Asgard."

"Thank-you," Jane said, unable to shake the feeling that she knew Valkyrie from somewhere.

"Please, take a seat."

Jane sat down on the couch. The house looked and smelt like a frat house.

"We have much to discuss," Valkyrie said.

"Did you know I was coming?"

"You had to come."

Jane was confused. "But I only decided last week to book a plane ticket, and…"

"This is no social call," Valkyrie said, sitting down on the coffee table and leaning towards Jane. "You know Thor is off world. You have questions. I most likely hold the answers. Also, I have a job for you."

"I - I don't know what…"

"Jane Foster, after lunch we will go for a walk. I will explain everything."

…

"What's the flarknard doing?" Rocket asked, folding his arms and tapping his foot. "We got places to be and no time to waste."

"I am Groot," said Groot.

"What? No, I'm not making things up. You're making things up!"

"I am Groot."

"Groot is right," Nebula said, "We don't have anywhere to be, and we have all the time in the galaxy. We can wait."

"What, no, I hate waiting! Why are you all ganging up? I'm the leader."

"Thor is our leader."

"I am Groot."

"Are we asserting that Thor is our leader?" Drax asked, walking over to the cluster of Rocket, Groot and Nebula. "For I second that claim. Or third it. What number are we up to?"

"Fine, whatever, I'll go tell Quill that we're mutiny-ing him on the next abandoned planet we find."

"Why are we doing that?" Nebula asked.

"Gamora is good at finding abandoned planets," Drax said.

"I am Groot."

"Ah! I hate you all. None of you can take a joke. Can anyone make the pirate angel hurry up? What's so good about that view anyway? The galaxy is the galaxy, looks just the same from inside the ship as it does sitting on top of that purple grassy hill. What's he looking at it for anyway?"

"He's not looking," Nebula said, "He's praying."

"He's a god," Rocket said, "He's praying to himself? That's like talking to yourself, and certainly on the path to crazy."

"He is a bit crazy," Drax said.

"He's not praying to himself," Nebula said, "He prays to other gods."

"And how would you know that?" Rocket asked.

"I've heard him," Nebula said, looking up to where Thor sat, "On the ship. It's small and his indoor-voice is rather loud. 'One more trick, one more miracle. One more'."

"Well, that'd be useful if we knew what he meant," Rocket said, "I'm gunna go relieve myself behind those rocks, then I wanna get moving. Last one on board gets to wash the Benatar next pit-stop."

"I am Groot," Groot said, following Rocket.

"No! Go get on the ship. Don't follow me, that's weird."

Drax turned to Nebula. "Do you know what miracle he prays for?"

Nebula pursed her lips. She nodded. "I - I think so. For in a fashion, I've prayed the same."

"You pray to the Asgardians."

"What? No, I mean, I - I think it's his brother. He's praying to his brother."

"And you have a brother."

Nebula sighed, glancing back at Thor. "Let's just go get back on the ship."

…

Carol looked at the unread email. It had been sitting there for months, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to open it, afraid of what it might say. She couldn't remember actively avoiding anything so purposefully in her life. For some reason though, sitting in what could best be described as a cafe, on a foreign planet, the time felt right. It had to be important, only… she was never going to receive another email from Natasha Romanov. For five years, Natasha had been Carol's link to earth as her captain and leader, and though they'd spent little time in the same room, Carol liked to think of Natasha as a friend.

Carol sighed, still procrastinating. Too often of late, Carol hadn't felt as though she was enough. She wasn't doing enough, helping enough, saving enough lives. She couldn't save Tony, couldn't bring Natasha home, couldn't stop her new friends from hurting. But this, maybe this email, which she'd been putting off reading for so long, could change all that.

_From: Natasha Romanov_

_Subject: CONFIDENTIAL: Operation Teen Spirit_

The code name was clearly named by a Nirvana fan, but other than that, it gave little clue as to the content of the email. Carol tapped on the email, and it popped open.

_Hi Carol, _

_If you've got this, it means two things have happened: 1. We reversed the blip (excellent), and 2. I'm either dead or severely incapacitated (not so excellent). There's something I should have told you, but didn't know how, especially since you were off planet, and with the blip, I didn't think it mattered that much. Also, I didn't put the pieces together until about a year or two back, so - I don't know, I'm just coming up with excuses. _

Carol read through the rest of the email, feeling her stomach drop. She didn't blame Natasha for keeping this to herself, in fact she wanted to hug her for figuring it out at all. Years back, when Natasha had released all the SHIELD files to the public, she had discovered that back in the 90s SHIELD had captured an alien. An actual, real, blue-skinned alien. The alien was injured, but appeared to have a healing factor and advanced durability, as the blast she was involved in would have killed any human. Not knowing what to do with her, and knowing she had been a threat when active, SHIELD had locked her away, code-naming her incarceration as Operation Teen Spirit. It wasn't until much later when talking to Carol that Natasha had released that Carol might know the alien woman. Natasha had looked her up, only to find that she'd disappeared in the blip. But now…

_So, she's probably sitting in a (comfortable, all things considered) cell, very confused as to what's going on. I hope so, anyway. My point is, I think that after all this time, she's paid for her crimes. If this Minn-Erva is someone you know, and you want to bust her out, you'll find all the plans attached. Please note: the plans are for a solo mission, I wrote them as though they were for myself. But if you'd like assistance, I hope you have someone you can ask. Those who have worked with me (especially Steve and Sam) will know how to adapt the plans._

_I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I hope that if you can save her it will mean something. _

_I was about to type "kind regards" but that seems too formal._

_Thanks Carol. For everything. _

_Love,_

_Natasha._

Carol leant back in her chair and swallowed. Kree were hardy, more so than humans, but that didn't mean Minn-Erva was unhurt in the explosion. They aged differently too. Carol opened the attachment, which took a moment to download. It was full of maps and schematics and detailed written plans. Carol scrolled through the document, wondering when exactly Natasha had put all this together. She was going to need to print all this out. It didn't matter how many years she spent in space surrounded by alien technology, Carol still found it easiest to work with actual, real paper. She closed the email and attachment and stood up. Time to go home.


	2. Chapter 2

"It is a very good view," Valkyrie said.

Jane just nodded, happy to stop and catch her breath. Had hiking always been this hard? Admittedly, she'd been hiking for two days just to reach the village, and though she didn't understand why they couldn't have just talked back at the house, Jane decided there must be a reason they were now standing on top off this cliff, overlooking the sea. Though if there was a reason, Valkyrie was not about to divulge it.

"So, Lady Jane," Valkyrie said, sitting down on the grass, "Your story."

Jane sat down beside her. "I probably messed up," she said. "I - I was so scared, and so sick. Too scared to tell my friends. Even when one of those friends is a literal god. Perhaps especially because one of those friends is a literal god."

Valkyrie nodded.

Jane looked at her. "Do you already know all this?"

"I know we all do stupid things when we are afraid."

"I meant about me. What I need to tell someone. Someone who might… understand."

"I need to hear you say it," Valkyrie said, "I need your version of events."

Jane took a deep breath. "I had breast cancer. I was diagnosed about six years ago. On my second round of chemo, the blip happened. It was suddenly a lot easier to get a hospital bed, but there were also half the medical professionals. Anyway, a few hospitals all banded together, pooled their resources, and my treatment continued. It wasn't going great. Not for me. It was making me sick, and - I was so sick…" Jane looked out to see, and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "I got pneumonia, the cancer kept spreading, pretty much every medication seemed to make me vomit. I wasn't in a good state."

Valkyrie nodded slowly. "But then?" she asked, prompting Jane to continue.

"But then - I was _so_ sick. I - I don't think I was supposed to survive. But I did. One day I obviously just bottomed out, because I started to get better. The drugs started to work. The doctors called it a miracle recovery, because within a couple of months, I was cancer free and in remission. Admittedly, I was still weak and sickly thin, but… I was better. I was getting better. Food tasted good again. My hair grew back, I put on weight."

Valkyrie turned her head and looked at Jane's slight frame. "You call that having put on weight?" she teased gently.

Jane chuckled, "I was a walking stick figure before. Anyway, just when I was starting to feel good, like I could actually face the world again, everything blew up, so to speak. All hands on deck fighting Thanos. The blip was reversed. It threw me, to be honest. People I loved who'd been gone were back, and I'd been through hell alone."

"But you chose to be alone," Valkyrie said.

"I didn't know how to reach out," Jane said, picking at the grass, "And it gets to a point where it's easier just to go along alone. My two closest human friends blipped out, I don't have much family, and contacting Thor…"

"Jane Foster, know that next time you find yourself in Hel, it really is recommended to call a friend."

"Ha, yeah, I know."

"But why come here now? You can share that story with your friends. Why come all this way across the world, looking to speak to someone in person? Someone who you say, understands. Someone not of this world."

Jane looked at the grass she was picking at. "Because something happened to me. When I was sick. And I don't know how to explain it."

"Magic."

"No…"

"Yes. You have held the power of an Infinity Stone inside of you, Jane Foster, and it did not kill you. It should have burnt you up, but it didn't. You, a mortal woman with no special powers held one of those stones inside your body and lived to tell the tale."

"It did nearly kill me though. Maybe that's what caused the cancer? Also the word 'miracle' sounds a lot more realistic than - "

"Thor told me about you," Valkyrie said, cutting Jane off, "And your issues reconciling your science with our magic. Let me tell you, Jane Foster, a lot more of the galaxy works on magic than science. You visited Asgard. You have been on the Bifrost. You have met gods and elves, travelled between worlds, witnessed power and forces that are well beyond understanding. You have had your life saved by magic on another planet, and yet you still struggle with the concept."

"But this wasn't Asgard. This was a hospital on earth. No magic doctors, no magic stones, no magic anything. Pretty much the opposite of magic, actually. Just cold, sterile, sanitised medical things."

Valkyrie smiled. "You're still fighting the very concept, but you will come to understand, Jane Foster. You should have died in your cold, sterile hospital bed, but you did not. What you would pass off as a fever dream is true. Do you remember it?"

Jane shook her head.

"Few do," Valkyrie said. "The galaxy needs you, Lady Jane. I need you."

"What happened to me?" Jane asked quietly.

"You were fighting a great battle. You stood at the gates of Valhalla, but it was decided that it was not yet time for you within those great halls. One day, you shall dine there, but may that day be far into the future."

"I don't understand."

Valkyrie looked at Jane. "You're a valkyrie, Jane Foster. Welcome to the club. Sorry that membership is currently a little lacking."

"Wait - what?" Jane asked.

"Since you recovered, have you ever looked at someone and known they were going to die?"

"I - well, I've spent a lot of time around oncology departments, so…"

"You can lie to yourself, but don't lie to me, Lady Jane."

"But I don't have wings or - I dunno…"

"I don't have wings," Valkyrie said, "But I do have a job for you. You need to return to Valhalla. Knock at the gates. Guide some souls there if you like, but make sure the gate opens."

"You want me to die?"

"No, Lady Jane."

"Then how do I get there?"

"You will know the way there," Valkyrie said, "You've been before. But there is one in the halls before their time."

"Who? Do I know them? How would I - ?"

"Come," Valkyrie said, standing up, "We have lingered long enough. The grass will soon become dewy, and I'd not like for you to slip."

"But - I don't know the way," Jane said, scrambling to her feet. "This is insane. Utterly insane. I - I can't be a valkyrie. I - I'm…"

"Thou dost protest too much, Lady Jane," Valkyrie said, as Jane hurried to keep up with her. "I'd go if I could, but my place for now is here."

"This is insane. This is actually insane."

"You shall take my winged stallion."

"I can't ride a normal horse, let alone a flying one! I have a job. I'm on annual leave. I - I came here to…"

"Jane Foster," Valkyrie said, stopping so abruptly that Jane almost walked into her. "This is exactly why you came here."

Jane looked up at Valkyrie, wishing she was wrong, but knowing that absurd as it sounded, everything Valkyrie said was true.


	3. Chapter 3

Almost immediately after the blip had been reversed, Sam had started what he called Family Dinner. On Thursday nights, Bucky and Sam would cook a big dinner for whoever could make it, usually a roast or barbecue with all the trimmings, plus something special for dessert. Carol had only been to a couple of these dinners, having spent most of her time since Tony's funeral off-world, but the few times she had attended the dinners had been the most welcoming, homely and friendly things she could dream of.

Pepper Potts had left the Lake House to the what remained of Avengers, moving back to New York City with Morgan. Sam, Bucky and Wanda had moved in, with Steve living in a self-contained unit in an old-folks village fifteen minutes away, and Bruce living in the same flat he had had during the blip. Wanda was attending college, studying languages and International Studies, Sam was mentoring returned service personnel and coaching a local kids basketball team, while Bucky, who was still trying to figure exactly how he fitted into the world, took care of the house, the chickens, the shopping, and running Steve around (though Steve still had his drivers licence, he didn't like to drive unless it was sunny and dry and guaranteed to stay that way).

It had been Bucky who'd responded to Carol's message, saying that it had been months since she'd last been to Family Dinner and of course they'd all love to see her. Carol smiled as she walked up the driveway to the house, her hands in her pockets. A small part of her felt that she really should have brought something to share, but the smells coming from the house assured her that as usual there would be plenty to go around.

There was just the five of them at dinner, Steve, Sam, Bucky, Wanda and Carol, Banner sending his apologies from a conference in Spain, and Rhodey being tied-up with work in Washington DC. A number of others had open invitations, including Clint and his family, Scott Lang, who'd returned to his life in San Francisco, and his family, anyone from New Asgard, Doctor Strange and Wong, Pepper and Morgan, Happy Hogan, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Peter and May Parker. Scott dropped by whenever he was on the East Coast, and Peter and May made the trip up to the lake house during school holidays, but none of the others had taken up the offer.

The meal was delicious, the conversation never stopped. Everyone was keen to hear about Carol's recent adventures in spaces, and Carol was happy to hear about the most mundane aspects of their lives, from Steve's mishap at the dry-cleaners, to which of Bucky's chickens were moulting.

After dinner, Sam drove Steve home, and Wanda disappeared upstairs, saying she had an assignment to do.

"She's still not taking it well," Carol said to Bucky as they did the dishes.

Bucky gave a resigned shrug, "She has better days and… not so good days. It's stupid to think, but I can't help it - if we'd had just one less loss, or maybe if we'd lost someone she didn't care so much about it might be easier for her. Or maybe after Vision was killed, the rest didn't matter…"

Carol nodded.

"I have tried talking to her," Bucky said. "So has Sam, and he's usually great with this sort of stuff."

"Is she getting professional help?"

"She won't take it," Bucky said, slowly drying the glassware. "We're all just - existing. Sam's Captain America now, but the shield hasn't left the cupboard under the stairs since he stashed it there. We've just been getting through. Maybe thats what we need to do for a while, let the dust settle. I don't know. We need - we need something good. Something to really - "

"Boost everyone's morale?"

"Exactly," Bucky said. "We're rudderless. Leaderless. I don't know. We're just tied."

"I know the feeling," Carol said.

"But you're out in space, saving space from space-dangers," Bucky said, offering Carol an encouraging smile.

Carol shrugged. "What I'm doing is reactive. I don't have plan or a set purpose. I have no one to report back to or check in with. I'm making things up as I go along, and honestly saving space from space-dangers is not as fun as it sounds. It's, well, it's lonely."

"Is that why you're here?" Bucky asked gently. "What you need? Some friends? No shame in admitting you're lonely."

"Huh?"

"Come on, Carol. It's not Thanksgiving or Christmas."

"I've been here since Christmas."

"Nope."

"Really? Huh. Guess it's easy to loose track of time in space…"

"So why now?" Bucky asked, "We weren't expecting you for months."

"It's nothing," Carol said, taking the last of the plates out of the sink and staking them in the drying rack. "I just wanted to stop by for Family Dinner."

"Ok, Captain Liar, I believe you," Bucky smirked, putting away a pile of bowls.

"I'm not that bad of a liar, and I do miss proper home-cooked earth food," Carol said, letting the murky water out of the sink and taking off the gloves.

"But…?"

Carol picked up a platter to dry so as not to have to look at Bucky. "I got an email from Natasha."

Bucky stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "What?"

"Sorry, umm, a few months ago, I got an email. I just never read it. Now I have and I - I actually do have something to do."

"She left you a mission?"

"More like unfinished business, but yeah, I guess so."

"Of hers?" Bucky asked, closing the draw behind him and grabbing a plate to dry.

"More of mine, really. Something I guess it's time to set right."

"Do you need help?" Bucky asked.

Carol shrugged. "Not really."

"Not really or no? Because they are very different answers."

"I need to use your printer. They don't really have printers in space, and it would be good to look over the hard-copies of the documents Nat attached. Oh, and can I please stay in one of the spare rooms tonight."

"Of course. What's the nature of this mission?"

"Prison break," Carol said, trying to sound matter-of-fact.

"Oh, that's all," Bucky said, leaning against the bench. "Anyone we know?"

"No," Carol said, putting the platter away and hanging up her tea-towel. "I've got to do this alone. Then go back to space for a bit, and hopefully be back for Thanksgiving, if I don't lose track of time this time."

Bucky nodded. "Ok. So… how did Natasha know about this unfinished business of yours?"

"She put the puzzle pieces together. Pieces I didn't even know existed. Listen, do you mind if I debrief you afterwards? Like, if I can pull this off, and it's a pretty big 'if', I'm really gunna want someone to talk to about it, and my list of confidents is sadly small at the moment."

"Always," Bucky said, putting away the last of the plates and hanging up his towel. "And you don't need to rush back to space, you know. We'd be happy if you stayed. With Steve more or less out of the picture, Thor off-world, and Tony and Natasha…um, gone, well, about how I said before we're kind of lacking a leader? You would fit the bill."

"Ha," Carol said, feeling a sadness that she tried to repress ripple through her body, "Trust me, I cannot fill Natasha's shoes."

Bucky looked at Carol's feet. "I dunno, she had pretty small feet."

"How do you know that?" Carol asked.

Bucky turned his back and shrugged, so Carol wouldn't see him blush. "Story for another time. Anyway, Sam should be back shortly. You can go settle in upstairs if you want to. We'll probably crack open a few beers when he gets back."

"Will Wanda come back down?" Carol asked, worried about the young woman upstairs who'd lost too much in too little time.

"Yeah," Bucky said, "I hate to say it, but I reckon right now she's sitting at her desk, which was once Tony's, staring at a blank screen. She'll appreciate the distraction."

"I'm always happy to be a distraction, if nothing else," Carol smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

If anyone in the outside world had asked Jane what she was doing in New Asgard, she would have a hard time explaining just what she meant by "a crash course in being a valkyrie" without sounding totally insane. Valkyrie, or Val, as she told Jane to call her, was enjoying having an apprentice for the first time in an age, and Jane was more than a little overwhelmed and excited at all the new powers and abilities she discovered she now had.

"But how to I get to Valhalla?" Jane asked Val for the dozenth time as they walked down towards town. Val was always very cryptic when it came to what it was she wanted Jane to do on this mission.

"You'll know the way," Val answered as usual.

Jane rolled her eyes, glad that Val was walking ahead and couldn't see her. "You've said, but logistically, how do I get there?"

"With this," Val said, pulling a small glowing stone out of her pocket. "We're taking it to be ground up. It would be rude to expect my stallion to eat it in this form. I shall give you more to take with you."

"More rocks?"

Val slipped the stone back into her pocket before anyone else saw it. "The smaller the piece, the quicker it loses its magic, so yes, it's best to take a couple of the shards rather than powder."

"How do I get them ground up in space?"

"It shouldn't be hard. There are worlds all across the galaxy, and those worlds will do anything to help a valkyrie."

"Ok," Jane said apprehensively, "But what _is_ the magic stone?"

"It's not a stone, it's a shard from the Rainbow Bridge," Val said, as though that was most obvious.

"What?"

"Lady Jane, as much as I admire you, I shall not miss your endless questions. It is a shard from the Rainbow Bridge, which was in Asgard. You would have seen it when you were there. These shards still contain magic of the Bifrost."

"So it, wait - what? But you said the other day that Asgard was destroyed."

"It was. It doesn't mean I didn't salvage some shards from the Rainbow Bridge. They work as one-time, one-way trips across the galaxy. It is what you'll use to reach Valhalla."

"Seriously?" Jane asked.

"Very serious," Val said. "I most certainly don't expect you to fly, Lady Jane. That would take a lifetime."

"On your flying stallion?" Jane asked. The day before she'd gone for a short ride on the stallion with Valkyrie. Jane had found it absolutely terrifying, and had been holding Val so tight around the waist that Val had had to ask Jane to loosen her grip, for she was finding it hard to breath.

"Yes."

"Which you didn't have when all the Asgardian refugees came to earth, but you managed to find for the big battle against Thanos?" Jane asked. She felt she could write a book of questions she wanted Val to answer.

"Yes."

"Let me guess, because 'magic'."

"Yes," Valkyrie said.

"Of course," Jane said, fighting very hard not to roll her eyes again, "Obviously."

"You're mocking me, Lady Jane."

"I just miss science," Jane confessed. "Not that all this isn't fascinating or anything, but I really, really miss science."

"Lady Jane," Val said, stopping in front of a small house and turning to Jane. "When you were sick, science failed you. It let you down. Betrayed you. Do you know what saved your life? Magic. If it weren't for magic, you would not be here. You had best reconcile the two very quickly, Lady Jane, because whatever happens next, your life is wrapped in magic."

Jane bit her lip and looked askance. "I just want to understand," she said, feeling like a child.

"It is time to learn, Lady Jane, that not everything is meant to be understood. Not everything is meant to be analysed and studied and known in minute detail. Some things," Val said, pulling the shard of the Rainbow Bridge out of her pocket and holding it up to the light. It sparkled an infinite number of colours, despite the cloud cover. "Are simply magic."

…

Carol stayed three nights at the Lake House, using its copious resources to prepare for the prison break, but also enjoying the food and company available. It was nice to be living with others, if only for a couple of days, in a real house, with a real veggie patch growing out the back, real chickens in the coop, real canoes on the lake, real books on the shelves and a very good internet connection. Carol felt safe and comfortable. It was a comfort that she could easily get used to, but she knew if she lingered too long, she'd never be able to leave.

"I'll be back for Thanksgiving, I promise," Carol said as Bucky walked her to the door before sunrise on Sunday. Sam and Wanda were still in bed, and Carol would rather slip out quietly than make a fuss. She'd happily eaten left-over apricot crumble for breakfast, washed down with a big mug of coffee, then collected her things to go.

"I'm holding you to that," Bucky said.

Carol smiled. "I'll send word. Let you know how I get on."

"Please don't get caught and make us need to bail you out."

"Barnes, please," Carol said, "Natasha made these plans. If I get caught, then I deserve whatever punishment I get for being enough of an idiot to screw them up. Look after the others."

"Always," Bucky said, and saluted. "Captain."

"Sergeant," Carol saluted, then gave him a hug before she wandered down the driveway as light began to spring from the eastern sky.

…

'A change is nigh," Thor said, arms folded across his chest, gazing out of the window as the Benatar drifted through space.

"It the flutarking galaxy," Rocket said, swallowing the last of his lunch. "Change is alway nigh. Something's always going kaboom by accident or purpose. Then we go rob some stuff and trade it for credits. Or use it, if it's any good. I considered trading Quill on one of them slaver planets, but figured he's worth more sweeping up after Groot than he would be in credits."

"I do not like slavers," said Mantis.

"Many slavers are good for naught but righteous murder," Drax said, "And now that lunch is complete, let us find some to slay."

"What, no! We're not going on a murderous rampage," Quill said.

"Then where are we going?" asked Gamora.

"We're going - we're just travelling, ok?" Quill said. "In space. Because that's what we do. We're space-travellers."

"Quill, that is the lamest thing I've heard you say all week, and you say some pretty moronicious things," Rocket said.

"Moronicious isn't a real word," Quill said.

"Sounds real," Rocket said.

"I do not know enough Terran insults to correct him politely," Mantis said.

"I'm going to go sit somewhere else on this tiny, messy ship, because you lot are all moronic," Nebula said, standing up and walking out of the little kitchen area.

"I am Groot," Groot said.

"I do not understand how Rocket gets us onto those tangents either," Thor said, looking over his shoulder at Rocket. "Can no one else feel that feeling? It is as though there has been a spark, and soon there shall be a flame, and presently, a hot, blazing fire."

"Yeah, that's the Phoenix, and nine hundred and ninety-nine times out of a thousand, it's bad news," Rocket said.

"Not the Phoenix," Thor said, "I have no connection to it's power. This is something old. Something - " Thor looked at the confused or disinterested faces of the rest of the Guardians. "It is probably indigestion," he said, turning back to the window.

"Which is what happens when you let Quill cook."

"I cooked," Mantis said.

"Quill collect the food."

"That food has probably been in storage for as long as you have had this ship," Gamora said.

"I am Groot."

"I agree with Groot," Quill said.

"You don't even know what he said! You never know what he says."

"Oh yeah, how do you know?"

Thor sighed and wandered back to the front of the ship, where Nebula had taken her seat. "How is it that they do they not kill each other?" Thor asked, taking the pilot's seat and looking out the window. As he looked out at the stars and planets and whole solar systems beyond, his prayer to Loki drifted into mind; one more trick, one more miracle. Since leaving Midgard to travel with the Guardians, the words had become something of a mantra for him, they kept him grounded, yet allowed him to hope at the same time. One more trick, one more miracle.

"It is a miracle," Nebula said, as the raised voices of the rest of the Guardian's drifted through the ship, "But when they need each other, they're a formidable team. Highly dysfunctional almost to the point of self-destruction, but formidable."


	5. Chapter 5

Carol was almost surprised at how well the mission was going. She followed Natasha's instructions to the letter, from what she wore to the day and time she arrived at the facility. Carol had memorised all the access and clearance codes, most of which were Natasha's, Natasha having known that SHIELD or whoever ran the facility these days wouldn't have bothered removing them from the system, incorrectly assuming that the Black Widow would never share her access codes. There were the scripts Natasha had written had Carol come into any of 20 different scenarios with staff, Carol so far having used the first two on the list, plus the site plans for the whole facility.

Of course, Carol thought as she stood in the lift, getting in was on a fraction of the job. Getting out was going to be a whole other ball game, and that was where Natasha's plans had been a lot less precise.

_Maybe you'll just have to punch your way out? Out of the building complex, that is. Try not to have to hit any staff that absolutely necessary. _

In amongst the military precise instructions were little notes that reminded Carol that the plan had been made by a real person. Someone who knew her. Who cared about her, and wanted this to go well. Carol sighed. She missed the late-night chats with Natasha, half a galaxy apart, when the rest of their respective worlds seemed to be asleep, but for various reasons they were still up. Carol tried to remember if she'd ever spoken about Minn-Erva or the incident 25 years ago. Perhaps she'd mentioned it in passing, but didn't recall going through the specifics.

Carol felt relieved when the lift reached the bottom. One more hurdle jumped. She had hacked the security cameras to be on a loop from the previous Sunday. There was only one guard in the control room, and he wouldn't be paying any attention to the fact that the visitor from Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (_You're from Boston. You know the area if asked and can get away with saying you're doing post-doctoral research there in Science and Public Policy)_ to the archives room had disappeared from view. Or at least Carol hoped as much. Nothing of note had happened in this facility for 25 years. Until today.

Carol walked purposefully down the hallway, unsure of what she was going to say. Natasha had written a script for the reunion (_should you need it)_, which Carol had memorised, but now she wasn't sure. The last time Carol had seen Minn-Erva, she had tried tried to kill her. Carol tried to ignore her heart thumping in her chest as she punched the correct pin-code into the security door at the end of the hallway. The technology here hadn't been updated since about 2004, and even then it hadn't been installed with top of the line equipment.

The door clicked and Carol entered a small viewing room. She closed the door behind herself and exhaled loudly, still unsure as to whether or not it was the right thing to do.

Minn-Erva lay on the bed reading a book in the well-sized prison cell, containing a queen sized bed, a couch, table with one chair, bookshelf full of books and puzzles, TV and DVD player, and a bathroom complete with bath and seperate shower. "I've had lunch," she said without looking up.

Carol looked around the viewing room, realising that the windows weren't two-way by default. She flicked a switch. "Good to know. I thought you were dead."

Minn-Erva put down the book and looked up at the windows. "I hoped you were," she said, "Because it took you long enough to find me." Her hair was lose around her shoulders, and she wore a plain grey t-shirt and track pants.

"Sorry about that," Carol said, ignoring the dig, "I've been busy. Also I really did think you were dead. It's only been about week since I knew otherwise."

Minn-Erva sat up. "Didn't you organise all this?" she asked, looking around the cell.

"No," Carol said, "I've been off-world."

"Then who - ?"

"I don't know, but I have a couple of theories. We can talk later. Right now, we have to go."

"Go where?"

"Out. Away. Off-world. This is a rescue mission. I'm breaking you out."

"You're kidding."

"Nope," Carol said. "Surprise!"

Minn-Erva rolled her eyes. "So you're still ridiculous."

"And you're still stubborn and annoying," Carol said. "Do you want to be rescued, or do you want to spend another 25 years down here?"

Minn-Erva looked down, "I can't run, Carol."

"You remember by real name."

Minn-Erva shrugged. "I still can't run."

"But you can walk, right? The report said you were injured, but you - "

"Yes. All limbs still attached. I can walk. Not very far and not for very long, but yes."

Carol nodded. "Well then, lucky I can fly. And have super-strength. And now we're wasting time. We gotta go. Got anything you want to bring? I've got one of these roll-up bags," Carol said, pulling the bag out of her pocket. "It won't fit much, but, umm, how do you get out?" she asked, suddenly realising that she didn't recall seeing that on any of Natasha's plans. Had she missed a line? Carol racked her brain for what the instructions had said.

"You'll have to break me out," Minn-Erva said, "With your magical super-strength. And as for everything here? The Earthers can keep their stuff. The next prisoner might need it more than I do."

"Right," Carol said, stuffing the rolled-up bag back into her pocket, and pulling a small, round electronic device out of another pocket. "You will need this though."

"And that is?"

"Space-suit," Carol said. "Well, it is once it's activated. I can do the flying, but you can't survive for long in zero-pressure and at the speeds I'll be travelling without it."

"Food slot is here," Minn-Erva said, pushing herself to her feet and shuffling towards the glass.

Carol placed the device in the food slot and tried not to stare at Minn-Erva's awkward gait. A barrier closed on her side and opened on Minn-Erva's. Minn-Erva took the device. "Now what?"

"It goes around your wrist," Carol said, "It usually just clips up by itself."

"It usually does?"

"It's not my tech."

"Then who's is it?"

"A friend's. I - borrowed it."

"And you didn't asked your friend how it works?" Minn-Erva asked, turning the devise over.

"Kinda hard to at the moment," Carol said.

Minn-Erva sighed and placed the devise on top of her wrist. Two bands shot out of the sides and wrapped around.

"Ok," Carol said. "Well, time to suit up, because this is gunna be a smash-and-grab. And go. Obviously. We're not just gunna stay here with broken glass."

"Go where, exactly?"

"I'm working on it."

"Working on it? You don't have a plan?"

"I have a plan. It's a very good plan, just the last part was kind of up to me to sort out."

"You mean this isn't your plan?"

"My plans usually involving a lot more punching than I've done so far, which is none, so no, this is not my plan."

"Who made this plan? Why did you not ask them to come up with a safe place to go?"

"Because they're not around to ask!" Carol exclaimed.

"Oh," Minn-Erva said, "My apologies. Your friend is dead."

"Friends," Carol said, looking down. "One wrote the plan, another made the tech."

"Oh," Minn-Erva said. "Do you have many not-dead friends? Who might want to help? Because if all your friends are dead, I might actually opt for staying here."

"No, I have still-alive friends," Carol said, feeling defensive. "It's just they - oh, yes!"

"Oh good," Minn-Erva said sarcastically, "You remembered people you know."

"People in space! Other outlaws! Good people and aliens and one is a talking racoon."

"A talking what?"

"Umm, usually not-talking earth creature. Anyway, yes, yes I do have friends who can help. Oh, she knew! Well, at least I think she knew. Maybe. I don't know, but come on, suit-up, we're wasting time."

"You sound insane."

"Oh, yes!" Carol grinned. "We've gotta get off-world, then I can call them. Don't want to send off any signals from here."

"How do I make this work?" Minn-Erva asked, looking at the Stark Industries bracelet around her wrist.

"Double-tap the screen? It worked for me," Carol suggested, having only a vague idea as to how it worked. She'd found a box full of them in cupboard under the stairs at the Lake House, and figured that Bucky, Sam and Wanda wouldn't notice if she took one.

Minn-Erva doubled tapped the screen, and a suit unfolded from the bracelet, covering her body. "Carol, it knows I need a slightly different air composition."

"Great," Carol said, morphing into her own suit. "I'll just punch this window in, and we can go."

"And it knows I need extra support because I - because of my injuries," Minn-Erva said from inside the blue and green suit.

"Yeah," Carol smiled, wondering exactly what she was seeing on the screen. "Stark was good like that."

"Do you think I could run in this suit?"

"I dunno. We can try later if you really want. But right now, step back please."

Minn-Erva stepped back from the glass. Carol punched it with exactly the right amount of force, and despite being two inches thick, the glass shattered. Carol smiled, the specifications in Natasha's report, right down to the thickness of the glass had been spot-on. Carol couldn't help but think that Natasha had included the thickness of the glass for just this reason.

Carol reached out and took Minn-Erva by the hand. "Let's blow this place."

…

"_Call incoming_," the intercom said.

"Who'd be calling us?" Gamora asked.

"Who has this number?" Thor asked.

"Someone answer it," Nebula said.

"No one answer it! They'll be trying to sell something," Rocket said.

"I am Groot," Groot suggested.

"What if they need help?" Thor said.

"What if they're selling life insurance?" Rocket asked.

"What if it's our friends?"

"I am Groot," said Groot.

"What friends?" Gamora asked.

"I have friends," said Drax.

"I am Groot."

"Yeah, you said that already, Groot," said Rocket.

"I'm answering it," said Nebula.

"Wait, no - "

"Hello?"

"Dammit!"

_"__Thor? Rocket? Everyone else? Not sure who's there. Umm, this is Carol. Captain Marvel."_

"Carol!"

"Hello Carol!"

"See, I told you it would be our friends."

"I am happy it is somewhere we know and not a spam caller," said Mantis.

"I am Groot!"

_"__I miss you too, Groot. Hey, can you guys get my location from this call? I need a lift."_

"You're not on Midgard?" Thor asked.

_"__Nope. And I've got an, umm, someone else with me. We're in a bit of a pickle."_

"Why would Carol be inside a pickle?" Drax asked.

"It's a - oh, never mind," Gamora said.

"I should like to see this giant pickle," Drax said. "We could get a giant burger to go with it."

"There's no giant pickle," Quill said, "Carol, we can get your location. Rocket, you got Carol's location?"

"They might giant pickles on Jotunheim," Thor said.

"We're not talking about pickles!" Quill exclaimed.

"Just one moment… yep, I got you, Princess," Rocket said.

_"__Brilliant,"_ said Carol, _"How far off are you?" _

"Not very," Quill said.

"I am Groot."

"We're whole solar systems away!" Rocket said, "How fast do you think this old can move?"

"A couple of hours, Carol," said Nebula.

_"__You guys are the best,"_ Carol said, _"Thanks for this."_

"I am Groot."

"Yeah, yeah, we're aways so happy to help. Bus Service of the Galaxy at your disposal," Rocket grumbled, as the team strapped in and set course for Carol's location.


	6. Chapter 6

"This is impossible," Jane muttered to herself as she walked up the glittering white steps to the giant doors ahead. She had flown across space on Val's flying stallion, the horse having had no issue eating his morning oats laced with crushed up Rainbow Bridge shard. The horse had been very relaxed throughout the flight, whereas Jane had been holding on for dear life. The horsehide known exactly where to go, and as they flew, Jane couldn't help but think she did too. Maybe it was the peculiar costume Val had given her, saying that hiking pants and a North Face jacket really weren't the right thing for a valkyrie to be seen in. That must be it, Jane thought. Some sort of psychology of dressing the part, though she did admit to herself that she was enjoying the flowing blue cloak.

They had left Norway on Sunday. Jane was supposed to return to work Monday, but she'd cancelled her flight back to America and sent a quick email to Darcy informing her of the sudden change of plans, wondering if Darcy would think that Jane had finally lost the plot completely, or just shrug and go back to her game of Candy Crush or whatever else she was doing to waste her time.

When Jane had first sighted the doors of Valhalla, she had felt as though she was entering a dream. She had recognised them, and that realisation scared her. She had been here before, but she had never been inside. The stallion had landed on the platform at the bottom of the steps. It hadn't even broken a sweat. Jane had given him a pat on the muzzle before turning to face the stairs.

The light should have been blinding, but it wasn't. The giant doors were white-washed wood, only the wide-wash appeared to glitter, and no tree Jane knew grew to make doors that tall. The door handles were golden, and conveniently at standard human height. Jane reached the top step and wondered what to do next. Was she supposed to knock? Did she just go inside? Was anyone expecting her?

"Val, you really need to write a guide book on all of this," Jane mumbled, looking up at the doors. "Open sesame?" she muttered hopelessly, her stomach doing flips. What was she afraid of? She'd found her way here, and it had been years since she'd felt as alive as she had during the flight. So why hesitate?

Jane sighed and turned around, hoping that the stallion would give her some inspiration, but the sight she beheld almost knocked her over. Hundreds, if not thousands of people and aliens of all colours and shapes and sizes stood behind her, the stallion enjoying pats from those closest to him.

"Well?" a man in close to Jane said. "You letting us in?"

"You - who…?"

"You're new, huh?" a woman said, "We heard on our planet that the valkyries were all gone. Looks like that was wrong. And I'm very glad it was."

Jane blinked. These people were all dead. Had they followed her here? Had she somehow collected them along the way without knowing? Jane wanted to shake Val very hard, to shout "why did you not explain this to me properly?!" but Val was an eternity away, and Jane was here, on the steps of Valhalla, with all these people looking hopefully and expectantly at her.

"Yeah," Jane said and nodded. "Valkyries are - yeah. We're still a thing."

"Gunna open the doors? Let us in?" the man asked.

"Yeah," Jane said. She turned back to the doors, placed her hands on the handles, and pushed. It didn't take much effort for the doors to open, and they continued to swing all the way open. A few people in the crowd behind Jane cheered, and they all made their way inside, many stopping to shake Jane's hand, or curtsey or bow or touch foreheads or simply say thank-you. Jane found she could understand all of them, though she doubted any spoke English. She just smiled and waited for what felt like hours as they all made their way inside.

Eventually, only Jane and the stallion stood outside the doors.

"Well?" Jane said to the stallion, "Now what?"

"Now what indeed, Jane Foster."

Jane jumped at the voice and spun around. "Lady Frigga."

"I'd say I'm surprised, but that wouldn't be entirely true," she smiled gently, looking more radiant than Jane remembered in a golden gown which complimented her shimmering, intricately braided blonde hair.

Jane nodded. "I - umm, did you, am I - I…"

"Jane Foster, I believe you were sent here by Brunnhilde."

"Who?"

"The only remaining Valkyrie," Frigga said.

"That's her name?"

"What did you think it was?"

"Valkyrie?" Jane said, realising that that was of course stupid, like someone having 'Doctor' or 'Colonel' or 'Bus Driver' as their real name.

Frigga smiled kindly. "How is Thor?"

"Ok? Umm, I haven't seen him for a while."

"Keep an eye out."

"Ok," Jane said. "Umm, Val - or Brunnhilde, I guess, she said there was someone here I had to get. Someone here before their time."

"Ah, yes," Frigga smiled, "She must have felt it."

"Riiight. Any clues as to who? Because cryptic crosswords are not my favourite thing, and cryptic mission descriptions are even worse, and I really would like just one straight answer from anyone because this is all totally insane."

"No it isn't," Frigga said. "And that's the very reason you still feel uncomfortable."

Jane turned around and ran her hands through her hair. Perhaps she was just imagining it, but it felt as though it had become much thicker and longer in the past few days. "Listen, I - "

"It's magic, Lady Jane," Frigga said kindly. "Pure, wonderful, perfect, miraculous magic."

"I hate magic," Jane grumbled.

Frigga chuckled. "You do know that you wouldn't be here without it?"

"Yes, I know," Jane said, turning back to Frigga, "But - wait…?" While her back had been turned, the doors to Valhalla had closed, leaving Jane and Frigga on the outside. "Are you the one? Because, ah, ok, right, well, I guess we'll get on my horse, or Val's horse, actually, and…"

Frigga took a deep breath and her body shuddered.

"Are you ok?" Jane asked as Frigga put one hand against the door for support.

"All prayers are heard," she said, "Just not all can be answered."

Jane took a step back as Frigga's body shimmered.

"Damn, can't keep this form now that the doors are shut. Not that my magic is broken, just that coming back from the dead does a real number on your body. I'll be right in a few days. Maybe more. Hard to know. Any idea where Thor is?"

Jane stared as Frigga's body shimmered gold, and then Loki appeared. "Oh my god," Jane breathed.

Loki coughed, and tried to steady himself. "One more trick. Ta-da! Tricked you, Jane Foster," he said, forcing a smile and sliding down the door to sit. "Now, if Thor want's that miracle as well, we're going to need to move. Don't worry, I promise not to stab you or faint and fall off your horse."

Jane looked around.

"It's not a trick now, Jane," Loki said. "It's me. I died, again, incase you didn't know. In battle glorious enough to make it to Valhalla. I - " Loki paused and coughed. "I beg your pardon. I've been waiting for an out. Wasn't quite expecting this, but I am not about to complain."

"Do you know how to find Thor?" Jane asked.

"I was hoping you'd have that information."

"I think he's travelling with a group called the Guardians of the Galaxy," Jane said.

"Why are you telling me," Loki said, "Tell the horse. He's the one who'll find them."

"He's just a horse," Jane said.

"He flew you all the way to Valhalla, and you still want to pass him off as 'just a horse'?"

Jane looked at the horse, who seemed to be listening. "Fine," she said, turning back to Loki. She held out her hand, which he took, and she pulled him to his feet. Jane half dragged him down the steps, and the horse knelt down to allow them both on, but not before Jane had fed it a shard of the Rainbow Bridge.

"Sorry it's not ground up," she apologised giving the horse a quick pat, and then climbed on. Jane sat in front with Loki behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist. "Any funny business, and you get pushed off, ok?" Jane said to Loki. "And I'm only doing this because I really do not know what I'm supposed to be doing."

"You're literally saving my life, Jane Foster," Loki said as the stallion stood up and spread his wings, "I'm all out of tricks for the moment anyway."

The stallion began to try towards what looked like the end of the world, for beyond the small platform at the bottom of the steps was nothing by the vast abyss of space. Jane grasped the stallion's mane as it quickened to a gallop, flapped its wings and took off.

"Any magic now," Loki shouted in Jane's ear, as the speed of the stallion increased further still and colours of the Bifrost began to light up around them, "It's coming from you, Jane! It's all you!"


	7. Chapter 7

"Well my vote is to grab the next Shi'Ar exploration craft we see, fiddle with the controls, find out how it works, and send some… misleading information back to Shi'Ar high command," Rocket giggled.

"No, no, definitely not," Quill said, as the Guardians of Galaxy slowly made there way from nowhere important to nowhere in particular, taking in some of the more scenic parts of the galaxy. After collecting Carol and Minn-Erva from an outpost planet, they were back to their usual schedule of Not a Lot. "We are not getting in trouble with the Shi'Ar. There's enough planets that want us dead, we don't need to be wanted by those bird-brains as well."

"But I really want to," Rocket said.

"I am Groot."

"Carol, your friends are so weird I don't even know where to start…" Minn-Erva grumbled.

"I agree with Quill on this one," Gamora said. "We do not need to go about inflicting the wrath of the Shi'Ar on us."

"I do think the Shi'Ar have other things to worry about than a bunch of space-pirates messing about with their unmanned craft," Thor said quietly.

"Why would they be going after the Starjammers?" Rocket asked.

"The who?" Thor asked.

"The Who are a British rock band," Quill said.

"I quite like them," said Carol.

"I think I've heard of them," Minn-Erva said.

"Umm, you guys?" Nebula said.

"Shut-up, Quill," Rocket said, "No one likes your Terran music."

"I like it," Carol said, "You know, also being from Terra and all that."

"The Starjammers, Thor!" Rocket said, "You ain't heard of the Starjammers?"

"I have not heard of them," Drax said.

"I am Groot," said Groot.

"I too um unaware of The Who," said Mantis.

"We're talking about the Starjammers, not Quill's stupid Terran music!"

"Hey! Everyone shut-up," Nebula said, "There's something out there." She pointed out in front of the ship.

"Is it dead? Can we use it for parts?"

"It looks like it stalled."

"It's moving."

"It's floating."

"It's walking?"

"It's a horse?" Carol said, confused.

"It's a valkyrie," Thor said, feeling his heart skip a beat, and he stood up. "Open the hatch! Help her inside."

"Is she carrying someone?" Gamora asked as she slowed the ship to a halt.

Thor and Carol raced to the hatch. "Wait here, I can guide them inside," Carol said, flicking up her helmet. Thor nodded and held onto the rail as the hatch opened. Carol leapt out of the ship, and the hatch closed again behind her.

"I get her helmet if she dies," Rocket said quietly, standing behind Thor, who ignored him. "You know who that is?" Rocket asked.

Thor swallowed, and didn't reply. He watched as Carol made her way to the valkyrie. It didn't look like Val, and Thor knew she would never abandon New Asgard, but Val was the last of the valkyries. But no one but a valkyrie could ride a flying horse unless the horse chose to be ridden, and much less survive in space. Even then, they couldn't survive for long.

Carol guided the horse towards the ship, and it appeared to trot along beside her despite the nothingness of space. Rocket opened the hatch, and Carol, the horse and its two riders entered. Carol removed her helmet. "Damn Thor," she said, flicking back her hair. "Today is your lucky day."

The two riders awkwardly dismounted from the horse, the valkyrie landing on her feet, and man dropping to his knees. Thor's eyes went wide.

"I - will go tell Gamora to get us out of this quadrant. For… safety," Rocket said, recognising the riders and deciding he didn't want to be there. He pushed past Nebula, who had appeared behind him.

"Thor," Jane said, catching her breath. "Hi. Woah, I am glad you guys found us."

"Hi," Thor said.

"I guess you have a lot of questions."

"Not really," Thor said and stepped forward. "You forget that I am very old, Jane Foster, much older than you. And if the galaxy has taught me anything, it's that sometimes it's best not to question, and just to believe."

"You Asgardians and your magic," Jane chuckled, shaking her head. "You know that Val has given me magic-lectures, don't you?"

Thor smiled and embraced Jane. Jane was more than happy to wrap her arms around him, and feel his warmth against her body.

"Yes, Jane Foster, I know exactly what Valkyrie has been filling your head with."

"And you do know I'm here too, don't you brother?" Loki asked, wishing his voice wouldn't crack, sitting on the floor, trying to regulate his breathing.

"I know," Thor said, reluctantly letting go of Jane, "But I was waiting for you to speak to be sure you were real, and this was not just I dreaming."

"Why - why would you need to wait?"

"Because you never speak in my dreams, brother," Thor said, sitting down beside Loki.

"Should I take offence?" Loki asked.

Thor chuckled and pulled Loki into a hug. "You feel cold, brother."

"I feel like Hel, brother. Coming back from the dead isn't exactly a comfortable experience," Loki said, not exactly enjoying Thor's awkward hug, but not pulling away either. "There's the cold, and the aching all over from deep inside, phantom pains, nausea. I suppose it's all part and parcel of being a god. You die, you come back, rinse and repeat."

"I haven't died and come back," Thor said.

"Then you haven't lived," Loki said, as Thor loosened his embrace. "I'll be right in a few days, it just - the whole coming back part take a lot out of you."

"But Gods don't die and come back…" Thor said, realising what Loki had said.

"Please, Thor," Loki said, resting his head in his hands, "Growing up, how many stories did we hear of Father being killed and later returning to save the day."

"Those were stories to entertain young boys, Loki," Thor said. "It was Father trying to impress us."

"Well, clearly he impressed you, but didn't fool me. He'd seen inside Valhalla more than once before he made his final journey there."

"That's insane."

"That's Father," Loki said, and coughed. "Imagine the insane stories you'll get to tell your vivacious offspring to try and impress them, whenever you and Lady Sif decide to tie the knot and repopulate Asgard."

"Loki, that - wait, Sif is alive?" Thor asked, rubbing Loki on the back, feeling that was the right thing to do.

"Well, she's not in Valhalla, so odds are very much in her favour of being out there somewhere."

Thor's heart skipped another beat. He looked up, and saw Jane, Carol, Nebula and the stallion looking him.

"Do you - want to get something to eat?" Carol asked Jane, deciding that the brothers needed some space.

"Oh, yes please," Jane said.

"Wait," Loki said. "Hang on, Lady Jane…"

Jane looked at Loki.

Loki looked up. "You - you didn't come to Valhalla for me."

"What?" Jane asked.

"I very much appreciate you coming, allowing me to escape and all, much more exciting out in the world of the living. Grand feasts are nice, but it's difficult when everyone's watching you and Father's there, and… Jane, you said Val sent you?"

"Yes," Jane said. "She said I had to get someone out. I assumed it was you. Or I did until just now because you're looking at me like that, so I am now super doubtful."

"Heh," Loki chuckled, and closed his eyes tightly to help with he nausea. "It's not me. I'm just your friendly local stowaway."

"Then…?" Jane asked, looking at Thor and Carol.

"Someone else is back too," Thor said, looking down at Loki.

"If they're mortal," Loki said, closing his eyes gently and leaning into Thor, "They're going to be feeling a lot worse than I am."

"But, where are they?" Jane asked.

"If I'm correct, and personal experience would tell me that I am, they're wherever they died."

"But," Jane said, "It could be anyone in the universe. They could be anywhere."

"I know I'm usually the man with the plan," Loki said, "But right now I just want a normal, mortal sleep, and maybe some normal, mortal-world wine. Who would Val send you to Valhalla to bring back?"

Carol, Jane, Thor and Nebula all looked at one another.

"Jane, did Val not tell you who you were going to get?" Thor asked.

"No," Jane said, feeling sick to the stomach. "She said I'd know."

"How?" Carol asked.

"Well, she said 'magic', because that's her answer for everything, but I don't understand."

"Then use logic," Nebula said. "Magic is just another sort of logic. Logic you don't have on Terra. For a lot of the galaxy, magic _is_ science. They are one and the same. One your world, science reigns supreme, but on many, it is magic. Some, like Asgard, have both."

"I know, I know," Jane said, "But…"

"Think Jane," Thor said, "There has to be a link."

"I don't know…" Jane said, trying not to panic.

"How did you become a valkyrie?" Thor asked.

"What?"

"I'm asking you an unrelated question so your conscious mind thinks about that, and your subconscious thinks about the real issue."

"When did you learn psychology?" Jane asked.

Thor shrugged. "There wasn't a lot to do but play video games and read books at New Asgard."

"You read books?" Loki asked. "You haven't done that for centuries."

Thor ignored Loki, and just wrapped his arm around his brother's skinny body. Loki was here. He was a bit worse for wear, but he was here. Thor's prayers had been answered. One more trick, one more miracle. Loki had tricked his way out of Valhalla. Thor quickly turned back to Jane. "Jane, how did you become a valkyrie?" he asked again, urgency in his voice.

"Long story, but I was sick," Jane said, "During the blip. I should have died but I didn't. When I didn't die, I got better. But I noticed I was different."

"So you went and found Val," Thor said.

"Actually, I was looking for you, but yeah."

"What did she say?" Thor asked.

"Thor, how does this…?" Carol asked.

"Jane, what did she say?" Thor asked again, cutting Carol off.

"She said a whole lot of magic woo-woo nonsense, but she said I was strong and magic and powerful because I'd held and Infinity Stone and hadn't died, and - "

"Yes!" Thor said, jumping to his feet, pulling Loki up at the same time. "Ha! Gamora! Chart the course! I know where we're going!"

"What are you yelling about?" Nebula said, as she Carol and Jane followed Thor and Loki back to the front of the ship.

"Where are we going?" Gamora asked.

"If that horse poops on my ship, someone else is cleaning it up. Probably the new girl with the cape, because it's her horse," Rocket declared.

"Actually, it's my ship," Quill said.

"It's not my horse," Jane said, "It's Val's horse."

"It's those Stones," Thor said, "Jane was strong enough to carry the Aether."

"It was killing her, though," Loki said.

"It should have killed her straight away though," Thor said.

"The what?" Carol asked.

"The Aether, or Reality Stone, allows the user to break the laws of logic, of reality - "

"Of magic," Jane said, her eyes widening as she finally understood. "But I wasn't in possession of it when I was sick…"

"You didn't need to be," Thor said, "Oh, Jane Foster, don't you see? Somewhere in your history, maybe a millennia ago, there was an Asgardian in your family. Odds are, your great-something grandmother was one of the valkyries, a sister of Val. The Aether sparked dormant genes in your DNA, but it wasn't until you should have died that the magic activated."

"Science and magic," Nebula said.

"Jane, did Val give you any Rainbow Bridge shards?" Thor asked.

"Yeah," Jane said, feeling them in her pocket. "The horse can - is he ok?" she asked, looking at Rocket who was staring at her, his mouth open.

"He's fine," Thor grinned, "All his dreams have just come true. Yes, Rocket, please take the shard from Jane and connect it to the ship's power core. We need to hurry."

"You've still not given a destination," Gamora said.

Rocket slid out of his seat and took the shard from Jane, hurrying down below to connect it up.

"We've got a couple of minutes before he returns," Loki said, "And are you going to finish explaining, or must I, brother?"

"The Infinity Stone are all linked, like a chain," Thor continued. "It is because of the Aether that Jane survived her illness. Jane was strong enough to hold the Reality Stone, and and that gave her the strength to defeat death. The Reality Stone is linked most closely to the Soul Stone. The Soul Stone wants to collect souls. It wants people to die _for_ it. But if Clint Barton told the story correctly, and I have no reason to doubt him, then - well, what happens if someone gives their life willingly? Clint still got the stone, but the bargain was wrong. I believe this is Val's logic."

"Wait," Carol said, "Thor, are you saying…"

"That'd be right," Loki mumbled. "Of all the people in the galaxy…"

"You're sure?" Carol asked.

"Gamora," Thor said, "Set course for Vormir. We must move with haste, and hope that the universe holds one more miracle yet."


End file.
